Making sure your guests have delicious AND Safe Food should always be a top priority in your Restaurant. You should always reach for a higher standard for both. The higher standard for your food may be to feature local produce. The higher standard for Food Safety is ServSafe ® Food Managers Certification. Why is ServSafe Training a better investment for your staff?
We all aware of the importance of serving safe food. You definitely do NOT want your guests getting ill after eating your food. Complaints and refunds of the meals, paying for hospital bills, postings on Social Media or www.iwaspoisoned.com. Complaints to and investigations by the HI Department of Health that may lead to a Yellow or even Red Closure Status, becoming a headline on the news, and even lawsuits. All of these could seriously impact your business and reputation in a bad way.
Training your staff is a key factor in serving safe foods and drinks. The HI DoH does have a free course, and there are those cheapy-cheapy online courses. Both of these meet the bare minimum requirement of having an on-duty Person in Charge to possess an ANSI approved Food Safety Certificate. Also, these are valid for only 2 years.
ServSafe training provides a classroom-based course that teaches
- The importance of food safety for customers and restaurants
- Good personal hygiene for food handlers and servers
- Controlling time and temperatures that help protect food
- Ways to prevent cross-contamination in foodservice operations
- Proper cleaning and sanitizing for foodservice operations
- Food preparation practices that keep foods safe
- Properly receiving and storing foods
- Safe methods of thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating food
- Food safety regulations that are based on the 2017 FDA Food Code
- The importance of Pest Control and the partnership you need to develop
Who should take this course? The more staff that have a ServSafe Certificate, the better for your operation. Knowing WHY they must handle food safely is the best way to get everyone on board with your Food Safety Plan. Obviously, the Chef and managers, but the owner, your cooks, bartenders & servers would all benefit from the knowledge and skills they will pick up in the class. Several Restaurants that I audit require any management team member to possess a ServSafe Certificate even before starting to work. Others require that ALL staff that handle food to have ServSafe Certification – NOT the DoH or online course. There is a reason that those restaurants always retain their Green placards and get very high scores in Peter B Food Safety Audits.
Peter B Food Safety is now teaching and giving exams for the ServSafe Food Managers Certificate. These classes include the handbook and discussion of the 2017 Food Code, and our current HI DoH regulations. After passing the exam, the Certificates are valid for 5 years and are accepted in all 50 states.
The cost is $195, with a discount for HRA members. Classes on Big Island will be held in February, and in Waikiki in March. A Maui are being planned for the next few months. Contact PeterB for details and registration. Remember – Food Safety is not a cost… It is an Investment.
To set up a Food Safety Audit or Register for an upcoming ServSafe class, please contact Peter Bellisario via email peter@peterbfoodsafety.com or phone (808)491-7766. As always, Hawaii Restaurant Association members are eligible for a discount on our already reasonable fees.
0 Comments